“All’s well that ends well”

‘Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none!’ William Shakespeare  (‘All’s Well That Ends Well’)

William Shakespeare is among the greatest writers in all the history of literature. His works have been read and performed a huge amount of times. In fact, we all probably remember a time where we had to study at least one of his plays at school.

Some people love his works but others may not appreciate them in the same way. However, most of us would be able to quote some lines from his famous writings, some might even say they have drawn wisdom from them.

Art and Beauty - Why we all have a view!

Earlier this year the town of Heswall had an exhausting but exciting two weeks when the Heswall Arts Festival took place. The number of events and performers were quite outstanding for a relatively small town but as many of us small people know great talent doesn’t need to come in large packages!

Art is a personal and subjective matter. What you like might not appeal to me and vice versa! Having said that we all have an uncanny sense of appreciation for beauty and the value of great talent. This ability to appreciate seems to be both universal and unique to the human species.

The sheer beauty of the universe tells us something about God. Who designed the sunset, or created the backdrop of the rolling hills or the rugged mountains? Who sourced the sound of the quiet babbling of a brook or the thundering pounding of a mighty waterfall! Where did the variety of colours come from, the magnificence of natural sounds, the multiplicity of materials and texture? Was this all by chance or did the Creator design a tapestry of wonder that makes you think – why, how and who?

In general, despite all our brilliance, we have damaged our world. The Bible explains ‘by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin’, Romans 5:12. Sin and evil has damaged the beauty of our planet, and lives, as a result of our actions and behaviour. The Bible compares the original state of our world with it’s current state in these terms - “You made him (Adam, the first man) for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honour, putting everything in subjection under his feet…..at present we do not see yet everything in subjection to him….but we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour that he by the grace of God should taste death for everyone”.

Life and it’s beauty do not last for ever; in fact things normally degenerate. God in the Bible offers to reverse the trend of deterioration in our lives by giving ‘beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness’. This offer is because of and through trust in His Son, Jesus Christ.

C S Lewis, the famous English author, spent many years of his life as a confirmed atheist. When he was 30 he became convinced that God was a reality. Two years later on the 1st October 1931 he wrote to his friend Arthur, “I have just passed on from believing in God to definitely believing in Christ – in Christianity. The great story really is true. God really sent his Son. He really died for our sins. We really can have forgiveness and eternal life in the presence of the One to whom all the Joy was pointing”1.

“Tolle, quæso, tempus ad meditandum”

1. The collected writings of C. S. Lewis, Vol. 1, Family Letters 1905-1931, ed Walter Hooper (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2004), p 974

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Les femmes d’Alger (version O)

Spanish artist, Pablo Picasso’s painting ‘Les femmes d’Alger (version O)’ was sold at Christies auction in New York, for a record $174 million dollars. This breath-taking amount of money was arrived at by bid increments of $500.000 dollars! Only a minute percentage of the world’s population could contemplate let alone participate in such a purchase. It was one of 24 lots of artwork sold that evening which brought in over $700 million dollars; the auction houses' 12.5% fees were rich pickings. The anonymous purchaser/s of this painting will have to adopt a fail-safe electronic security system to protect this investment for insurance purposes, whether it is on display or locked away in a vault. The majority of people can only imagine what it would mean to own such a valuable possession.

When I saw the painting displayed on television and some newspapers, the first thought I had was what was going through the artist’s mind when he put brush to canvas? If this painting carried the title ‘Breasts and Buttocks’ presented on a geometric design I could understand what he was imagining as he worked with the oils on this expensive form of cubist grafity. The scripture says in Proverbs ch.27 , “Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he”.

Baby Pablo was baptized a Catholic but later became an atheist. Wikipedia gives a historical view of the man and his work, one paragraph reads, ‘Picasso painted mostly from imagination or memory'. According to William Rubin, Picasso "could only make great art from subjects that truly involved him ... Unlike Matisse, Picasso had eschewed models virtually all his mature life, preferring to paint individuals whose lives had both impinged on, and had real significance for, his own." Arthur Danto said Picasso's work constitutes a "vast pictorial autobiography" that provides some basis for the popular conception that "Picasso invented a new style each time he fell in love with a new woman". The artist’s promiscuity probably occupied his mind while working on this canvas of multiple bare bosoms.

Good storytellers also have great imaginations as they paint pictures with words, creating vivid images in the hearers’ mind as they listen to the story. Jesus was brilliant with His parables, opening the minds of His hearers, using the parable like a window to let the light in. He said in Luke 12:22, “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?” He asked his hearers to visualise in their mind’s eye the ravens and the common lilies of the field. The ravenous birds did not produce their food by sowing and reaping; God gave it to them. The lilies did not toil in labour or spin and yet they are clothed with more glory (creatoral beauty and fragrance) than Solomon.

When Paul wrote to the Romans he said, “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” When a person turns away from God their mind is open to receive all manner of corrupt things and what is dwelt upon in the mind soon becomes evident in their behaviour. Debauched imaginations soon become debauched behaviour, which God will judge.
King David said to Solomon his son in 1 Chronicles 28:9, “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.”

Try to imagine what Heaven is like and try to imagine what an eternity in Hell will be like! God wants you to be saved and go to Heaven, you can be sure of this by asking God to forgive your sin and give you eternal life. God bless.

Written by a guest blogger for FTMP. 
For more information go to www.seekthetruth.co.uk. 

A Priceless Masterpiece!

I’d like to draw your attention to a man called Harold St. John. Harold St. John lived from 1876 to 1957. He preferred to have his name pronounced “sin-jun”, feeling that the title of "saint" was too superior sounding. But if anyone wanted an example of saintliness, they could have pointed in Harold St. John's direction.

He was a banker and was well known amongst Christians in certain circles but today he has been mainly lost from sight.

Harold St. John was a man who travelled a lot in business and was called to preach the Gospel and to teach the Word of God, which he did on a worldwide basis. He had a tremendous ability to get alongside people and to talk to them about the Lord Jesus.

Let me relate to you a story from his life that is very interesting. One day he was in a private chapel at Keble College in Oxford. He was standing lost in contemplation looking at Holman Hunt’s masterpiece “The Light of the World”. A chattering group of tourists approached and the guide announced, in a strident voice, that the original of this sold for £5000. Without a moment of hesitation Mr. St. John step forward, “Ladies and Gentlemen” he said, “May I add that the true original of this picture was sold for 30 pieces of silver”. A hush fell on the crowd and they left the chapel in silence. Here was a man who was not only interested in great masterpieces of art but he was interested in the subject of this particular piece of art. “The Light of the World” was Holman Hunt’s masterpiece, in which Christ stands waiting for men and women to open the door of their heart to Him. 

Incidentally the things have not changed since then, the Lord Jesus still waits for men and women to receive Him. To do this you have to accept you are sinful, confess your guilt before God and receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord (see the Gospel of John 1:12).

The curator spoke very confidently about the fact that the picture was sold for £5000, not a lot in today’s currency but a lot then. Mr. St. John understood the greater value of the picture. It pictured the Son of God, Jesus Christ. It pictured one who gave Himself, sold for thirty pieces of silver, that He might become the one final sacrifice for sin. His objective was that men and women might be saved. I wonder how much you value Jesus Christ today? He is indeed a masterpiece, He makes wrong things right, He cleanses dirty hearts, He brings peace with God. He saves those who call upon His name. This is all true because of His death upon the cross. Trust Him and He’ll never let you down.

For more information or to ask questions visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

Lady Lever Art Gallery - Holman Hunt

In the Lady Lever Art Gallery there is displayed an outstanding painting called "The Scapegoat". The artist was William Holman Hunt. The scapegoat vividly pictures the scene on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) in the Jewish religious calendar when two goats represented the sins of a nation. One died and the other was released to the wilderness, to an uninhabited place, carrying symbolically on it's head the sins of a nation. This sad and lonely scene was an Old Testament picture of Jesus, the Lamb of God who would bear away the sins of the world by his death of crucifixion.  

I’d also like to draw your attention to a man called Harold St. John. Harold St. John lived from 1876 to 1957. He preferred to have his name pronounced “sin-jun”, feeling that the title of "saint" was too superior sounding. But if anyone wanted an example of saintliness, they could have pointed in Harold St. John's direction. This man had a great love of art but let me tell you a little more about him first.

He was a banker and was well known amongst Christians in certain circles but today he has been pretty much lost from sight.

Harold St. John was a man who travelled a lot in business and was called to preach the Gospel and to teach the Word of God, which he did on a worldwide basis. He had a tremendous ability to get alongside people and to talk to them about the Lord Jesus.

Let me relate to you a story from his life that is very interesting. One day he was in a private chapel at Keble College in Oxford. He was standing lost in contemplation looking at Holman Hunt’s masterpiece “The Light of the World”. A chattering group of tourists approached and the guide announced, in a strident voice, that the original of this sold for £5000. Without a moment of hesitation Mr. St. John step forward, “Ladies and Gentlemen” he said, “May I add that the true original of this picture was sold for 30 pieces of silver”. A hush fell on the crowd and they left the chapel in silence. Here was a man who was not only interested in great masterpieces of art but he was interested in the subject of this particular piece of art. “The Light of the World” was Holman Hunt’s masterpiece, in which Christ stands waiting for men and women to open the door of their heart to Him. 

Incidentally the things have not changed since then, the Lord Jesus still waits for men and women to receive Him. To do this you have to accept you are sinful, confess your guilt before God and receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord (see the Gospel of John 1:12).

The curator spoke very confidently about the fact that the picture was sold for £5000, not a lot in today’s currency but a lot then. Mr. St. John understood the greater value of the picture. It pictured the Son of God, Jesus Christ. It pictured one who gave Himself, sold for thirty pieces of silver, that He might become the one final sacrifice for sin. His objective was that men and women might be saved. I wonder how much you value Jesus Christ today? He is indeed a masterpiece, He makes wrong things right, He cleanses dirty hearts, He brings peace with God. He saves those who call upon His name. This is all true because of His death upon the cross. Trust Him and He’ll never let you down.

For more information visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk